On July 20, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2007
appropriations bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education (S. 3708). This bill would increase funding for the Education
Department's Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) program over
FY 2006 funding and over the request, but less than the amount recommended
by House appropriators. It would also provide money for some, but not
all, of the education-related initiatives proposed by President Bush
in his American Competitiveness Initiative.
Although the appropriations committees in both chambers have now passed
their respective versions of the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill,
disputes over an amendment to raise the minimum wage have so far kept
the bill from floor votes in either chamber. However, the Senate might
address the minimum wage increase in a different bill before Congress
leaves for its August recess.
MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS:
Under the Senate Appropriations Committee bill, the Education Department's
MSP program would be increased by $12.8 million, or 7.0%, from $182.2
million to $195.0 million. The Administration requested flat funding
of $182.2 million; House appropriators would increase the program's
budget to $225.0 million.
According to the Senate report (S. Rept. 109-287) accompanying S. 3708,
"These funds will be used to improve the performance of students
in the areas of math and science by bringing math and science teachers
in elementary and secondary schools together with scientists, mathematicians,
and engineers to increase the teachers' subject-matter knowledge and
improve their teaching skills. When the appropriation for this program
is $100,000,000 or greater, the Secretary is authorized to award grants
to States by a formula which includes consideration of the number of
children aged 5 to 17 below the poverty line. States then are required
to make grants competitively to eligible partnerships to enable the
entities to pay the Federal share of the costs of developing or redesigning
more rigorous mathematics and science curricula that are aligned with
State and local standards; creating opportunities for enhanced professional
development that improves the subject-matter knowledge of math and science
teachers; recruiting math and science majors; and improving and expanding
training of math and science teachers, including the effective integration
of technology into curricula and instruction."
The complementary Math and Science Partnership program within NSF is
funded under the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations
bill. Senate appropriators' recommendations for NSF were addressed in
FYI #92 (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2006/092.html
). While that bill would increase funding for NSF's Education and Human
Resources Directorate by 4.9%, it included no specific language on NSF's
MSP program.
OTHER MATH/SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
Of the Education Department programs identified by President Bush as
part of his American Competitiveness Initiative, Senate appropriators
would provide funding for some but not others. They recommended $40
million for Math/Science Advanced Placement programs (the request was
$122 million; the House bill would provide $80 million). Senate appropriators
would provide $5 million for a National Math Panel (the House bill would
provide the requested amount of $10 million). The Senate bill, like
the House bill, includes no funds for the elementary and middle school
Math Now programs (the request was $125 million for each).
The full text of the bill and its accompanying report can be found
at http://thomas.loc.gov/.
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